Doorcheck



1,629,12fl May 17 1927' P. H. RIPPLE DOORCHECK Filed Sent. 14, 1926 .i A -1 v ATTORNEYS- Patented May 17, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,629,120 .ATENT OFF-ICE.

rm 1:. nrrrm, or new serum, connao'rrcu'r, assronoa To run AMERICAN- nmnwm conrorwrron, or rmw sarram, commences, A ooarorwrron or comcrrcu'r.

nooncnncx.

Application filed September 14,1828. Serial No. 135,298.

My invention relates to a door check.

In the usual door checks now in use, the speed of the closing of a door may be varied but if the closing be as rapid as is often desired, the door will slam, and if the door check be arranged for a slow closing of the door, the latter may not slam but the door is held open during the closing movement for an unduly long period of time.

It is the principal object of the inventlon to rovide an im roved door check whereby a cor may be c osed very rapidl for the major portion of its movement an for the final closing, the door may be caused to move V6 slOWl Y Y t is a iurther object to improve certain details of construction to increase the effectiveness and utility of a door check.

Briefly stated, in the preferred form of 0 the invention, I employ a door check mcluding a fluid resistance device and provide means for permitting a relatively free flow of fluid through a part of said resistance device so as to permit the door to be closed rapidly for the major ortion of its movement and thereafter the ow of fluid is substantially restricted so as to permit the final closing movement of the door to take place very slowly.

In the drawin s which show, for illustrative purposes 0 y, a preferred form of the invention- Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a door check and illustrating features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of arts shown in Fig. 2.

In said drawings, 5 indicates generally the body of a door closer, which may be, and usually is, secured to the door. e arm 6 carried by a shaft 7 is usually secured to the door casing and spring means (not shown) would ordmaril be provided for causing the door to be c osed. The body 5 includes a cylinder 8 in which a piston 9 is movable. A crank 10 is carried by the shaft 7 and a connectin rod 11 serves to connect the crank 10 with t e iston 9. Door closers, as thus far described, are old and well known in the art, and no further detailed description and illustration thereof need be here given.

The-piston 9 may have a through passage 12 controlled by a ball or other check valve 13 so as to permit a flow of fluid from one end of said .cylinder 8 to the other in only one direction as will be understood. The body 5 may be provided with a passage 14 connectlng the ends of the cylinder 8. at opposite sides of the piston 9.

In the form illustrated, I provide two passages 1516 through the cylinder, and these passages or ports connect with the main passa' e. 14. During the opening movement of a oor, fluid passes through the assage 12 in the piston and obviously to t e left hand side of the cylinder, as viewed in Fig. 2. During a closing movement of the door, fluid passes through the passages 15-16 and thence through the passage 14 to the opposite end of the cylinder. My invention resides particularly in the means for restricting this latter flow through the passage 14 for controlling and regulating the closing of a door.

In the form shown, the passage 15 is so positioned that, upon a predetermined movement of the piston!) toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2, the port 15 will be substantially closed by the piston itself and thereafter fluid may continue to. ass through the passage 16 as will be descri ed. The body 5 may be provided with a threaded bore crossing the ends of the passa es 1516 and in which atubular threaded va ve member 18 may be located which also crosses said passages. This valve member 18 may have a knurled thumb nut 19 for turning the same either inwardly or outwardly for a urpose to be described. A suitable pac 20 may be employed for preventing leakage of fluid to the outside of the body member 5. The threaded member 18 constltutes part 95 of a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of fluid from the passages 15-16 to and through the passage 14. The member 1-8 may have a turned down peripheral recess 21 therein communicating wlth a port 22 through the wall thereof. The passage 14 in the body member, as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, is in communication with the end of the tubular member 18 and with the outside of said member throu h the port 22. During the latter or final c osin movement of the door, fluid passing throu the passage 16 continues on between t 0' threads on the tube 18 and meshing threads 1n he body 5. The flmd, after passing beno tween the threads, enters the recess 21 and then the connecting passa 22, and finally flows into and through t e passage 14 to the other end of the cylinder.

As will be clear from the drawings, the passage 15 in the cylinder communicates directly with the turned down recess 21 so that on the first part of the closing movement of the piston fluid passing through the passage 15, continues to flow with freedom through recess 21, port 22, and thence through the passage 14. The other part of the valve mechanism comprises means to control the flow of fluid through the port 22 and, in the illustrative form shown, I thread a valve rod 23 into the valve tube 18. A suitable packing 24 is provided for preventlng leakage to the outslde. By turning the knurled nut.

25 in one direction, it will be plain that the rod 23 will be moved toward the right, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, and the port 22 through the tube 18 will be restricted or closed. Obviously, by moving the rod 23 toward the left, the passage 22 will be opened, and'a free fluid flow therethrough permitted.' By turning the knurled nut 19 on the valve tube 18, the latter may be moved toward the left as viewed in Fig. 3 and thus provide fewer threads between which the fluid must pass in going through the passage 16 and finally into the passage 14 On the other hand, by moving the valve tube 18 toward the right, the tortuous thread-pas-i closing movement of the door is very slow. By movin the valve rod 23 toward the left so as to w olly uncover the passage 22, the

point where the door is almost completelyclosed. By turning the thumb nut 19 and thus causing a longer or shorter restricted passage for the fluid after it leaves the assage 16, the rate of final closing of the oor may be varied so that even if the door be closed very rapidly up to the point of final closing, the last inch or two may be accomplished at a very slow rate and there will be no slam of the door.

While the invention has been described in some detail and one specific form illustrated, I do not wish to be limited to the exact mechanical expedie'nts employed, nor to their location and arrangement, since obviously many changes may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

claim: 1. In a door check, a bodyincluding a sage for the fluid from the passage 16 is incylinder, a piston therein, means for concreased. I thusprovide a valve unit with two independently operable controlling means,- one for controlling the fluid flow after it leaves the passage 15, the other for controlling the fluid flow after it leaves the passage 16. The operation of the device when applied to a door is as follows:

Fluid, such as oil, is provided in the body 5. When the door is opened, the piston 9 is moved toward the right as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, and the fluid, such as oil, will pass freely through the check controlled passage 12 in the piston thus filling the left hand end of the cylinder with oil. Now, when the door is released, suitable means, such as a spring (not shown), tends to close the door and move the piston to the left. During the first part of this movement, fluid is permitted to escape through the passage 15 and to a lesser extent through the passage 16, and thence through passages 21, 22 and 14, to the opposite end of the cylinder. soon as the piston 9 has moved toward the left a suflicient distance, it practically closes the port 15 and thus cuts off any substantial flow of fluid through the same so that further flow must be through the assage 16 and between the threads, and fiance into passages 21, 22 and 14, to the opposite end of the cylinder. While the fluid is being retarded in its flow beyond the p 16, the

trolling-the flow-of fluid from one end of said 'nder to the other including a screw thre ed member threaded onto said body and adapted to permit fluid to pass between the intermeshing threads on said screw threaded member and said body.

2. In the combination defined in claim 1, and an adjustable valve carried b said screw threaded member to control flui flow from one end of said cylinder to the other.

3. In a door check, a body member having a cylinder, a piston therein, a check valve in said piston to rmit flow of fluid from one end of said cylinder tothe other in only one direction, said body having a main passa to ermit flow of fluid from one end of sa1d cylmder to the other, said cylinder havi two fluid passages communicating with sai main passage, one of said two fluid 'assages being in a position to be closed by sa1d piston upon a predetermined movement thereof, a screw threaded valve member in said main passage and adapted to act as a valve and permit a restricted flow of fluid past said screw threads, and an adjustable valve member carried by said screw threaded valve,- valve means for further controlling the flow of fluid-from one end of said cylinder to the other until one of said passages is closed by said piston, and thereafter to permit onl a restricted flow of fluid past one of sai valve members to cause a further closing of the door to be relatively slow.

4. In a liquid door check, a cylinder having a by-pass passage communicating with the opposite ends of the same, a checking piston in said cylinder between the ends of said passage, two ports connecting the interior of said cylinder with onejend of said passage one of said ports being nearer the end of said cylinder than the other, the latter being closed by said piston near the end of its checking stroke, a valve mechanism in said by-pass passage for controlling the liquid flow therethrough, said valve mechanism comprising two separately adjustable devices, one for controlling the liquid flow through said passage coming from both of said ports, the other controlling the liquid flow through said passage coming from the port nearest the end of the cylinder.

5, In a liquid door check such as set forth in claim 4 in which the valve mechanism comprises, a hollow valve stem ad'ustably mounted in said by-pass passage an bridging both of said ports, with a port in said hollow valve stem in communication with the cylinder port closable by said piston, and a second adjustable valve stem in said hollow valve stem for controlling the effective size of the port in the latter.

6. In a door check, a cylinder, a piston therein, a by-pass, two fluid passages connecting the interior of said cylinder with said by-pass, an externally and internally hollow threaded valve extending across both of said fluid passages and into said by-pass, a second threaded valve within the first mentioned valve, an opening through the side wall of the first mentioned valve controllable by the second mentioned valve.

PERCY H. RIPPLE. 

